Trump’s Enemies Pushing Him Toward Conflict With Russia

The president-elect was referring to a 35-page dossier of lurid details of
his alleged sexual misconduct in Russia, worked up by a former British spy.
A two-page summary of the 35 pages had been added to Trump’s briefing by the
CIA and FBI – and then leaked to CNN.

This is "something that Nazi Germany would have done," Trump said.
Here, basically, is the story.

During the primaries, anti-Trump Republicans hired the ex-spy to do "oppo
research" on Trump, i.e., to dig up dirt.

The spy contacted the Russians. They told him that Trump, at a Moscow hotel
in 2013, had been engaged in depraved behavior, that they had the films to blackmail
him, and that Trump’s aides had been colluding with them.

When Trump won the nomination, Democrats got the dossier and began shopping
it around to the mainstream media. Some sought to substantiate the allegations.
None could. So none of them published the charges.

In December, a British diplomat gave the dossier to Sen. John McCain, who personally
turned it over to James Comey of the FBI.

On Jan. 7, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and his colleagues
at the NSA, CIA and FBI decided the new president needed to know about the dossier.
They provided him with a two-page synopsis.

Once CNN learned Trump had been briefed, the cable news network reported on
the unpublished dossier, without going into the lurid details.

U.S. intelligence agencies had for months contended that it was Russia who
hacked the DNC emails and those of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta. Putin’s
objectives, they contend, were to damage both U.S. democracy and Hillary Clinton,
whom Putin detests, and to aid Trump.

Trump had previously dismissed claims of Russian hacking as unproved conjecture,
and also as being advanced to delegitimize his victory.

Wednesday, Trump conceded Russia did it: "As far as hacking, I think it
was Russia," adding, Vladimir Putin "should not be doing it."

The stakes in all of this are becoming huge.

Clearly, Trump hopes to work out with Putin the kind of detente that President
Nixon achieved with Leonid Brezhnev.

This should not be impossible. For, unlike the 1970s, there is no Soviet Empire
stretching from Havana to Hanoi, no Warsaw Pact dominating Central Europe, no
Communist ideology steering Moscow into constant Cold War conflict with the
West.

Russia is a great power with great power interests. But she does not seek to
restore a global empire or remake the world in her image. U.S.-Russian relations
are thus ripe for change.

But any such hope is now suddenly impaired.

The howls of indignation from Democrats and the media – that Trump’s victory
and Clinton’s defeat were due to Putin’s involvement in our election – have
begun to limit Trump’s freedom of action in dealing with Russia. And they are
beginning to strengthen the hand of the Russophobes and the Putin-is-Hitler
crowd in both parties.

When Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson went before the Foreign Relations
Committee, Sen. Marco Rubio demanded to know why he would not publicly declare
Putin a "war criminal."

The more toxic Putin-haters can make the Russian president, the more difficult
for President Trump to deal with him, even if that is in the vital national
interest of the United States.

The sort of investigation for which McCain has been clamoring, and the Beltway
drums have now begun to beat, could make it almost impossible for President
Trump to work with President Putin.

The Washington Post describes the engine it wishes to see built:

"The investigators of Russian meddling, whether a Congressional select
committee or an independent commission, should have bipartisan balance, full
subpoena authority, no time limit and a commitment to make public as much as
possible of what they find."

What the Post seeks is a Watergate Committee like the one that investigated
the Nixon White House, or a commission like the ones that investigated 9/11
and the JFK assassination.

Trump "should recognize," writes the Post, "that the credibility
of his denials of any Russian connections is undermined by his refusal to release
tax returns and business records."

In short, when the investigation begins, Trump must produce the evidence to
establish his innocence. Else, he is Putin’s man.

This city is salivating over another Watergate, another broken president. But
President-elect Trump should be aware of what is at stake. As The Wall Street
Journal writes:

"Mr. Trump’s vehement denials (of collusion with Moscow and corrupt behavior)
also mean that if we learn in the future that Russia does have compromising
details about him, his Presidency could be over."

Author: Patrick J. Buchanan

I rely on the fact that trump is a New Yorker, and New Yorkers do not take crap from anyone. I see Trump as being patient then going his own way. It is in his nature and within the New York culture. The use of twitter is brilliant as he can bring down McCain and any other Republican that faces re election. The people are on Trump’s side. That is his greatest weapon. The media is totally discredited, as are most other politicians. One Tweet and they will be the ones on the defensive. The revolution is here. The paleocons will replace the neocons

longlance

Hope you are right.

promotis2

Me too. But, that’s the way I see it. I think a lot of what the cabinet appointees are saying is just to get by the hearings. Besides, their personal opinions are not important if they do what their boss wants. They may hate the policy, or even objects to it, but may carry it out or resign. I think Trump is strong enough to make that clear. Like any good soldier who carries out the mission regardless of what he sees as the wisdom of it.

Ray Shelton

You said, “I think a lot of what the cabinet appointees are saying is just to get by the hearings.”
In a similar fashion, I think Trump said what needed to be said to get elected.
He has said so himself with respect to locking up Hillary, muslims entering the country, etc.
Draining the swamp has also taken a back seat (and new alligators have been let loose in the swamp with the likes of Tillerson).
Once in office, he will become just like all the others before him, impotent and incapable of doing anything radical because of a deeply entrenched system.

promotis2

Let’s hope not. We know what Hillary would be like, that’s why she’s not the one being sworn in. It is a problem that there is no way to hold politicians to their promises except the next election. If Trump fails he’ll be a one time president.

Ray Shelton

I don’t think its a question of whether Trump fails or not. It’s a question about whether the system is so entrenched as to make it impossible for ANY president to implement their vision. I’m sure many of them (from both parties) come with lofty plans only to be thwarted by crowd that in reality calls the shots (and “allows” the president to “appear” as if he’s in control). If this is true, it would answer many puzzling questions.

promotis2

That is why you need a strong president. Furthermore Trump’s use of the internet and Twitter is ingenious. It permits him to bypass the hostile media and go directly to the people. It is now up to the people to remain vigilant and keep the phones of their elected representatives busy. If they hear enough from their constituents they can be moved. Remember there is always another election ahead, and they are aware of that.

aaaa

You do understand that his SecState and SecDef picks are emitting full-neocon ideology now. Pence was already there.
Perhaps they are just barking to the neocons’ tune at most, but these positions tend to say what they mean and mean what they say when it comes to military matters

promotis2

I don’t care what their motive or personal feelings are, as long as they carry out Trumps foreign policy vis a vis Russia. This is time for strong leadership and right now I’m confident that Trump can handle it. He can fire them at any time. Unfortunately he cannot fire the traitors like McCain, but Arizona Republicans can and Trump should appeal to them . Trump has found a way to bypass the press by Tweeting and he might find a way to get the others in line, and that might be by appealing directly to the millions who love and elected him. With the media hating him, traitors in his own party, and a cabinet that doesn’t always see eye to eye with him he will have to get his strength from the people. He became president in spite of the traitors in his own party, in spite of being out spent, and with the media and Hollywood against him. He defeated them all with the help of the people. So stay tuned and be ready to call your representatives and senators when you disagree with them.

Mary Myers

Unfortunately, McCain won re-election this past election, so he’s in for another six years. Lindsey Graham is in for another four years I think, and Little Marco won his re-election for another six years. So Trump is stuck with them.

promotis2

True. That is why everyone must write of phone whenever dissatisfied with their representative or senator. They do respond to large volumes of calls on a topic. McCain may be an exception as I can’t see him running for another term. I don’t know if he’ll live long enough to complete this term

Mary Myers

My guess is that McCain will try to outdo Strom Thurmond as the oldest Senator to serve.

promotis2

That’s another problem. No federal worker ever dies from overwork and this is particularly true of senators and representatives. They are hardly at work for the people they supposedly represent. They are allowed to drift into senility while still drawing pay and benefits. The problem is who would recognize the symptoms of senility in a politician? They have no sense of reality anyway.

longlance

Let’s find out if the globalist war-mongers & corrupt presstitutes can bring down a popular U.S. President.

El Degüello

Assuming there is no there there, this could go very badly for the warmongers. An innocent Trump will be a raging beast indeed. Let us hope so.

nhmakingwaves

No one is totally innocent, it’s all a question of what gets enforced. Bribes and nasty sex parties? Sounds a lot like Trump. Maybe the only way for him to get ahead of this mess would be to have a prime time TV special doing everything nasty he can think of, enough to make Mariyn Manson blush. Everyone would tune out ASAP.

GeorgyOrwell

What the Post seeks is a Watergate Committee like the one that investigated the Nixon White House, or a commission like the ones that investigated 9/11 and the JFK assassination.
—-
A commission just like ………?

This should be all you need to know, right there, to know you are being lied to!

bob balkas

Even if there is a bit or bits of truth in the dossier, i cannot see russian intel giving such truth[s] for free to a briton or anyone else save Trump.

As for those generals who are said to oppose Trump on his wish to do some joint works with russia, i expect, they will be subdued or fired!
I do not expect DT to act as buana man to anyone in his cabinet!

richard young

Thank you, Pat, for addressing the most important aspect of this multi-faceted controversy: the bi-partisan campaign of powerful US warmongers to prevent President-Elect Trump from attempting to deal with Russia diplomatically, on whatever issues might be resolved in that manner to the mutual benefit of both nations. It appears that the warmongers have already been able to influence the incoming Secretary of State, before he even takes office. Let us hope that Trump really means what he has been saying about the desirability of avoiding unnecessary conflicts with Russia, whether with regard to Syria or other matters. As an 86-year-old Korean War veteran, I have had more than enough of the tough talk from “patriots” who are always ready to send other folks off to fight a war for them.

Mark Thomason

They are pushing him to conflict with Russia, but a lot more too.

They want their wars, lots of them. They want domestic surveillance. They want drone killings. They have a long list.

Trump is a huge danger to the Hillary hawk-and-Wall Street agenda. They mean to back him down before he gets started, to ensure the status quo that Hillary would have guaranteed.